Former diplomats, volunteers launch association to strengthen Jamaica-Japan relations

TOKYO, JAPAN:

Jamaica’s ambassador to Japan, Shorna-Kay Richards has welcomed plans to strengthen the relationship between the two countries through an alliance comprising former diplomats and volunteers.

The Japan-Jamaica Friendship Association (JJFA), dubbed ‘Japamaica’, was launched on Saturday, August 27 in Tokyo and aims to ‘increase people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding between Jamaica and Japan’, a release notes.

Ambassador Richards noted further, “The JJFA will provide a more structured mechanism to leverage the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation that we [Jamaican and Japan] have forged for over five decades. This, she noted, was instrumental “as we seek to unlock new dimensions in the Jamaica-Japan (J-J) Partnership”.

“I welcome the association’s main objectives to further promote cultural and other exchanges between our peoples as well as contribute to greater mutual understanding and friendship.” Richards will serve as honorary chairperson of the JJFA.

Commenting on the need for the union, Ambassador Nakano said, “We have a valuable asset of strong and solid people-to-people ties built up through many years of JICA volunteers’ activities in various fields in Jamaica. Given the fact that many of those volunteers still feel strongly connected to Jamaica and Jamaican people even after they left the country, we think that it would be most natural, as well as desirable to establish a friendship association with the JICA volunteers as core members.”

Jamaica and Japan formed diplomatic relations in March 1964. Both countries continue to enjoy close and genuine partnership since the establishment of diplomatic relations – sustained by political engagement, active trade, practical cooperation in several areas, cultural exchanges and people-to-people interactions. The countries will celebrate 60 years of bilateral relations in 2024.

Several Japanese officials, including former ambassadors to Jamaica Nakano Masanori, Takase Yasuo and Yamazaki Hiromasa, attended the launch event and inaugural meeting. Joining these diplomatic officials was Tobita Kenji, former resident representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Jamaica Office, the Japanese agency implementing Japan’s official development assistance, including at the grassroots level.

Also in attendance was a passionate group of current and former Japanese embassy officials and JICA volunteers who will comprise most of the association’s membership. Richards hailed the occasion as a “significant milestone in the diplomatic relations of our two countries, at a time when Jamaica celebrates its 60th anniversary of Independence, and as we mark the 35th anniversary of the first dispatch of Japanese Overseas Cooperation volunteers to Jamaica.”

She commended Ambassador Nakano for spearheading the launch of the association, to which he was nominated as the inaugural chairman. He remarked, “We believe that there is no better time to start JJFA than now. There is now an increasing momentum to further strengthen our JJ- partnership. We sincerely hope that JJFA will play a role in helping to deepen friendship and understanding through people-to-people contact among Japanese and Jamaican people.”